He also condemned online trolling, saying the organisation does not support such ‘below-the-belt’ attacks.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday said his organisation did not interfere in the matters of the Bharatiya Janata Party. “The Sangh does not run the BJP, the BJP does not run the Sangh,” Bhagwat said. “As Swayamsevaks, we consult and exchange notes, but are independent in functioning.”

Bhagwat made the statement at an event organised by a think-tank, India Foundation, run by BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav. Foreign ambassadors and diplomats from more than 50 countries were present at the meeting in Delhi.

The RSS chief further said that Hinduism accepted everyone, irrespective of their diet or attire, according to The Hindu. “Hinduness is free from this ‘ism’, he said. “Hinduness is the ever-changing quality of Hinduism.”

Bhagwat also condemned online trolling, saying the RSS does not support such “below-the-belt” attacks. His comments come in the backdrop of vitriolic reactions on social media after journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder on September 5.

“No discrimination as well as oneness of our nation and oneness of the world is our goal,” Prasar Bharti Chairman Surya Prakash quoted Bhagwat as saying.

When asked to comment on the Ayodhya land dispute, Bhagwat said the RSS would abide by the Supreme Court’s ruling.